Sometimes Love Isnt Enough
by krissyg927
Summary: Is love enough to mend a broken heart? Can the pieces be put together again. Carol and Daryl are divorced, but still in love with each other. AU no ZA. Caryl.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: This is just a small start to something that has been in my head a long time. I know I'm way off the hook sometimes._**

 ** _You should know, I will never write an unhappy ending for them._**

 ** _Let me know what you think._**

Carol had been divorced for three years. She remembered that day like it had just happened. It would always be in her brain as the day of her biggest failure.

The day her marriage to the only man she ever loved was over.

May 7, 2012, Maggie went with her to court to hold her hand, and Daryl never showed up. The judge granted it anyway. If he thought it wouldn't happen just because he wasn't there, his strategy was way off.

That was how the world was now, you could divorce someone and they didn't even have to be there.

It was a brave new world she was living in actually, where marriages were disposable and love wasn't enough to keep two people together.

Irreconcilable differences, cause of death indifference.

She hocked her rings that day and sat in the pawn shop parking lot, in her car and cried.

Her lawyer said she should have gone for half of his business and half of their house. She didn't want anything, she packed up her cloths and went to live with Maggie.

She couldn't do that to him anyway. He stayed in their house and bought her share.

He was calling her every day back then, but not anymore.

Three years later she and Maggie still shared an apartment. It worked for them, they both taught in the same school district and could even drove to work together.

The first year he called her on her birthday, their anniversary and the divorce date and she didn't answer.

The second year he called on her birthday and their anniversary and she didn't answer.

This year he switched it up and called on the divorce date again. Today.

She didn't answer that call either. But she called Maggie, and the rest of her friends to go out that night.

She didn't want to think about Daryl today or any day.

That was over. It needed to stay over.

She was so grateful they didn't have kids, it would have been so much messier. It was clean and easy, their divorce.

Maybe not that easy.

Because leaving the person who you shared your whole life with shouldn't be easy.

They had met each other in high school and dated the entire time. They got married the October after they graduated high school, convinced they could live on love and passion.

So many people fell into that trap and then they all found out, like Carol did.

Sometimes love isn't enough.

Maggie answered her group text first, then, Tara, Michonne and Andrea. They would all meet at the Mexican restaurant that night and get her through this day.

She was so grateful for her friends, they were by her side through all of this and she needed them.

Her birthday was next month.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who gave this a try even though its dark.**

 **Special thank you to my ff bff Magenta's Nightmare for helping me figure this out.**

 **Go read her stuff, she's the best.**

"What does he say? Do you listen to the voicemails?" Andrea asked as they were sipping Margarita's at dinner that night. Tara, Andrea, Maggie and Michonne had joined her after she sent out the group text earlier that day.

The call for help.

The restaurant was a loud, and the food was good. They came here often, for each other's birthdays and special occasions. It was just perfect to lift a person's spirits.

And Carol needed her spirits lifted tonight.

She was thirty one, no longer married and the reason she wasn't, well that wasn't working either.

She left him because they couldn't agree about something, a big something.

It was a deal breaker for her. It had been three years ago anyway.

Now, well, she hadn't planned on being so grief stricken that her counselor would advise her to not move forward with her plans until she healed from the dissolution of her ten year marriage first.

She hoped her mood was just because of what day it was, and that this would pass.

So far the nachos and Margaritas were not getting the job done.

Carol nodded, she did listen to them, every one of them.

"He says, he's sorry, that he loves me and please come back." Carol said, sipping her drink, her lips trembling slightly. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. She was so angry with herself for being all emotional.

It had been three years and still sometimes she would literally sob over the whole situation.

She really thought she would be done grieving by now. But she wasn't, it was still a fresh open wound. The kind that would not heal no matter what you did.

Carol did everything she could think of to heal herself.

She had gone to counseling, in fact she still saw the counselor every other month as she needed, when things came up.

She jogged and did kickboxing twice a week, to let out her stress. She had a little garden on the back patio of her and Maggie's place. She grew flowers and some vegetables and actually did find some peace out there.

Carol made her own spaghetti sauce with tomatoes she grew.

She read a lot of books and took bubble baths often, all those self-help things that books and her therapist recommended.

She dyed her hair a deeper shade of red with pink highlights. She spent time with her girlfriends.

Carol did it all.

She was in a better place than she had ever been before, yet she still felt empty.

She was trying to build a new life, to move on to what she wanted so desperately.

Or thought she did.

Andrea sucked in a breath. "How do you not go back?"

Carol's eyes grew soft and it looked like she might cry right there. She missed him, he was everything to her. Her best friend since she was thirteen, the only person she had ever been close with emotionally.

He was her soulmate.

Her first and only lover.

She missed him so much.

But she was sure it was better this way, wasn't she?

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry honey, oh my god, I didn't mean to upset you." Andrea said. "Why did I say that out loud?"

"Because you have no filter. " Tara said patting Carol's hand. "It's ok sweetheart."

"Listen, I don't want to bring everyone down, can we talk about something else. Tara, how's Alisha?"

"She's awesome, She was sorry she had to work tonight or she would have come."

"Next time." Carol said. "That's the price you pay for being the most sought out OB/GYN in the county."

Carol had introduced Tara to Alisha six months ago, when she went to see her about starting the process to have a baby. Alisha wanted her in counseling for another six months first and the time was getting near.

Alisha was reputed to be the miracle worker.

Carol wanted a miracle.

"She's delivering twins tonight, C section," Tara said.

Just then the waitress came over with four more margarita's and sat them down on the table. Michonne looked up at the waitress.

"Hon, we didn't order those."

"That guy at the bar did." She pointed towards the bar.

There sat Carol's ex brother in law, Merle. He smiled and held up his drink to them.

"It's Merle." Michonne said. "Take these back."

"No. No it's ok" Carol said. "Im going to go say thank you to him."

The girl's all did a double take. Carol hadn't seen Merle in three years either. Word was he moved in with Daryl after the divorce because Daryl had not been able to cope. She had heard rumors that he was drinking a lot.

Merle would not have allowed that, their father drank to excess and beat the shit out of him and Daryl until he died when Daryl was in junior high. Merle would have stopped Daryl right quick, he would not let him drink to excess.

Their mother had left them when they were 11 and 6.

This was the reason Daryl was so hung up on things like family, and children.

She got up and walked towards the man who had been in her life since she was a young girl. He and Daryl had the same eyes and as she approached him she was flooded with memories. She took a deep breath and allowed Merle to give her a huge bear hug.

"Hey, little sis." He said, he had always called her that, he saw no need to change that.

"Hey Merle, thanks for the drinks." She said smiling her best smile possible. "What are you doing this far from home?"

"Got me one of those computer dates, she's late though." He said. "How ya been honey?"

She nodded. "I'm ok, you?" She answered.

"Just fine darlin."

He waited for her to ask. He wasn't angry with her, he loved her too. And his brother was never going to stop loving her.

"How's…"

"He works and goes home, that's pretty much it." He took a sip of his drink.

"He called me today." Carol said.

"Did he?" Merle didn't know Daryl was still doing that. He had told him to stop on more than one occasion, Daryl said he couldn't stop.

She nodded.

"I told him to stop that, want me to talk to him." He pulled a stool over for her and she sat at the bar with him.

It was good to see Merle, they had always had a great friendship, and Merle actually missed talking to her. Carol used to make lunch for both of them every day and Daryl would bring Merle's lunch with him.

Merle missed Carol's sandwiches and the thermos she always packed for them. Hot chocolate for Daryl and coffee with French vanilla creamer for Merle.

They were not eating that well now that she was gone.

"Merle, we both know he won't."

"That's true enough, he is a stubborn bastard my brother."

Carol nodded, she knew this first hand. They had some horrible fights in their marriage, nothing that would have collapsed it. They were strong, had been strong.

They yelled and screamed when they needed to always knowing it was ok, that it would be ok.

It was ok to express themselves that way, it was safe.

They fought because they were passionate and when they made up it was the stuff dreams were made of.

Until that last fight, when he said go find someone else if you want a baby that bad. He didn't mean it, but to Carol, it was a kick in the face.

That was the last straw for her.

"Sure am sorry darling, I hope you're doing well."

He looked down at his phone, it had just chimed saying he had a text.

"Oh, she's coming in now, wish me luck." He smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Take care Merle." She said getting off the stool. "It was good seeing you."

He nodded and touched her shoulder as she was turning to go. She looked back.

"You take care of yourself Carol."

"I will." She said and walked back to her friends.

/

It was June 9th her birthday, she had already made dates with the girls for tonight and she was getting ready in her bathroom listening to Pandora on her phone. One of her favorite songs was playing "Alive" By Pearl Jam and she was singing. She took the day off and was going to get her nails and toes done. Then a massage, part of that whole self-care thing she was doing.

Maggie was meeting her after school and they were going out from there. Carol

Then her phone rang.

Dammit. She thought as she picked up the phone. She meant to hit the cut off button or as Andrea called it "The Fuck off" button. But she decided to answer it this one time, and make sure he never called her again.

"Daryl, you have to stop…"

He was shocked that she answered, so shocked that he lost his voice. He was sure it would go to voice mail like always.

"Carol." He said suddenly out of breath. "Carol…..I didn't think you would answer."

"Well I did…..but I'm not…."

"Please, five minutes, just give me five minutes….please."

She sat back against the sink. She could give him five minutes. She could do that she supposed.

"Ok, Five minutes."


	3. Chapter 3

She leaned against the counter and held the phone to her ear. She hadn't heard his voice in person in three years. She listened to every voice mail though. Cried a lot of tears too. But not in real time. This was the first. So far she was holding it together. It was one thing to hear him on the voice mail, which was bad enough.

Now he was on the other end of the phone.

"Happy Birthday sweetheart." He whispered.

No, he didn't get to call her that anymore. They had been married for ten years, together fourteen and he told her to find someone else. There was no one else. There never would be. How could he say that?

He didn't get to call her sweetheart.

Still even now it made her heart hurt that he would even think that.

That he would tell her to find someone else who would have children with her. Because he didn't want to.

"You don't get to call me that anymore." She said quietly into the phone. Saying it though, didn't make her feel as good as she thought it would.

"Carol, I'm sorry I said that, I'm so so sorry I hurt you. All that day at work I wanted to text you. Or call you and say I was sorry, but I thought I should apologize in person. And then I got home from work and you were gone. Gone just like that." He said all in one breath, trying to get it out before she hung up.

He was so surprised she picked up, he just started spewing his feelings out. He had nothing to hide from her, she knew him best of all.

He also knew the clock was ticking and she might never pick up a call from him again.

He was so happy to finally have the chance to tell her everything that was in his heart.

They had not spoken since that morning, when they had that awful fight. And when he came home that night, with her favorite flowers and her favorite wine, hoping to make up with her, she was gone.

He walked into their bedroom calling her name and stopped short. Their closet was across the room and her side was cleared out.

He dropped the flowers and the wine on the floor and ran for his cellphone which he had left out in his truck.

She did what he told her to do.

Carol swallowed she knew he was sorry. His voice was all breathless and full of emotion.

How must he have felt when he got home and all he cloths were gone. He called her and she didn't answer. He called her friends and they didn't answer. For a long time he called, every one.

Then they were divorced.

She had hurt him too, she knew that, and yet he never gave up, he kept trying for three years. He even backed off eventually, yet remained there in the background. Reaching out to her.

She didn't know if she could forgive him. She knew she should, so she could move on. She couldn't stay like this forever.

But it cut so deep. It was like he didn't care. Those words he said to her as he stormed out the door that day. 'Go ahead Carol, go, find some other man to have babies with, you want them so bad, because I aint doing it'

He never regretted a sentence so much in his entire life, and it was the last one he said to her.

Because that night she was gone.

The first sentence he ever said to her was 'Do you understand this geometry bullshit?'

The most important sentence he ever said to her was a tie. 'I love you' and 'I do'

"I didn't mean it, you have to know I didn't mean what I said ….."

"Daryl, you broke my heart. Do you understand that?" She said. "You told me that you didn't care if I left."

"I know, I know what I said, Carol, I know. I'm so sorry." He said and she knew he was never sorrier for anything as much as this. "You saw Merle. Did he tell you?"

"Tell me what."

"I see a shrink, for the anger, been seeing him for a little over two years, group therapy too."

"Merle didn't tell me." She said softly, he went into counseling too? She was surprised, and really he didn't have an anger problem. They fought sometimes, but he wasn't explosive.

Apparently he thought so though.

They yelled like any couple would, that was good for a relationship. It was healthy to express yourself. If you weren't purposefully mean.

She was kind of blown away right now.

"Daryl, you don't have an anger problem."

"I said words to you in anger and I lost you that made it a problem." He said. "Mostly I've listened, gone to group, they say I shouldn't call you. That's the only thing I don't listen to. I know I have to stop."

She slid down against the sink and onto the floor. She couldn't believe what he was telling her. Two years ago he stopped calling so much, it had to be because the counseling was getting through to him.

"Carol, you were the only good thing in my life, since I was thirteen."

She nodded, she knew all about that. They had always been each other's good thing.

He was also way over five minutes, but she didn't care right now. She was sitting in the floor of her bathroom on her 31st birthday talking to her ex-husband. The world was a strange place.

He never gave up and she had answered this call by mistake.

"I don't claim to have all the answers in life, and I know there's issues. But I would do anything if you would go out with me sometime, Carol."

She thought about that for a few minutes. She could talk to the girls tonight about it. See what they thought too.

"Ok, alright, I'll go out with you tomorrow night."

 ** _A/N: Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think._**


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: This got way out of hand, as usual. Hope you all enjoy and thanks for any love you leave me. Thanks for reading._**

 ** _I wanna taste love and pain. Wanna feel pride and shame, I don't wanna take my time. Don't wanna waste one line._**

 **** ** _Could Have Been Me- by the Struts_**

Maggie picked her just as they planned and before they even got a mile away carol spilled the beans about the latest development in her life.

"I'm going to dinner with Daryl tomorrow night." And Maggie stopped short in their apartment building parking lot. She threw the car in park and turned to her best friend.

"Excuse me?"

She nodded. "I meant to hit the Fuck off button, but I answered the phone instead."

Maggie leaned over and hugged her.

"I'm scared." She said into Maggie's shoulder as Maggie rubbed her back. "Good thing we're all going to be together tonight." Maggie replied.

/

Dinner with the girls did her a world of good. She was still shaking in her boots over this because she hadn't seen him since the morning she left. That was on purpose because they had a chemistry and attraction since the day he leaned over to her desk in ninth grade Geometry class.

He was failing, but he told her he asked her for help instead of his friend Eugene who sat behind him, because he wanted to meet her.

It had been on since then. They really never separated since that day. Until they did.

Not one of her friends said it was a bad idea to see him. It was unanimous actually, no one discouraged her at all.

She was nervous though and there was nothing that was going to help that.

/

Merle sent him a text with a thumbs up emoji and a good luck wish. Daryl read it as he stood in front of the restaurant.

When he came home from work the night before Daryl told Merle that Carol had picked up the phone. Finally. Merle hadn't seen his brother this happy in, well three years.

Merle was crossing his fingers right now, because Daryl left the house with so much hope tonight, if it didn't go well, he was afraid what he might do.

Maybe she was looking for closure and was just saying goodbye forever. Merle would have his hands full if that was the case.

But she never changed her name. Merle had called the school where she worked last month, after he had seen her, and asked for Ms. Williams. That was her maiden name. There was no Ms. Williams.

But there was a Ms. Dixon, first name Carol, who taught eighth grade English.

He wanted to say he was sorry if seeing him upset her, but in the end he decided to just leave the poor girl alone.

Maybe it meant something, maybe not. Most divorced women he knew took back their maiden name though.

Daryl was standing outside the restaurant they agreed to meet at. His heart was beating out of his chest and he had smoked five cigarettes. He was also half an hour early.

She didn't want him to pick her up and he understood that. This wasn't really a date anyway.

But he was nervous like this was their first date or something.

He remembered their first date, they went to a movie and he spilled soda all over them because he was so nervous.

She just laughed, leaned over and kissed him. That was what he had been so nervous about, he was thirteen after all. But she just leaned over and did it even though she had a lap full of sprite.

It was all he could think about since he asked her to the movies the Tuesday before. He wanted to kiss her so badly. And in the end it was she who kissed him first.

He also passed Geometry because of her.

He smiled thinking about their early days together.

Once they were together he was never nervous again, she took away all his fear.

When she left she took all of that with her. His life had been a huge struggle to get through without her. That's why Merle took it upon himself to move in with him.

She agreed to see him and that was a start, he would take it.

He would take whatever she was giving him and it would be whatever she wanted it to be.

He watched her pull in the parking lot and he lost his breath, he couldn't believe she was there, he actually thought she wasn't going to show. He prepared himself for that very thing, just in case.

He watched her get out and hit the lock button on her key chain.

He never thought he'd ever see her again and before he knew it he was running to her. Actually running and he couldn't control his feet or his emotions. He slammed into her and he would have knocked her off her feet but he held her so tight he just ended up picking her up instead.

He knew that he probably shouldn't have launched himself at her in the middle of Applebee's parking lot but he didn't care. He couldn't stop himself.

He breathed her in, shoving his face in her hair. The special Lemongrass soap she liked was still sitting in their bathroom and that's what she smelled like.

He couldn't throw it away, and sometimes he missed her badly he went in the bathroom and smelled the soap.

He felt like a crazy person when he did that.

But now that scent was in his arms again.

He practically swung her around from side to side.

He hadn't been with anyone else in his whole life and he thought they would grow old together.

It was the same for her.

And this felt so right.

He looked up and she was crying, he reached up with his thumb to wipe the tears from her eyes. He held her arms and looked at her.

"Honey, don't cry, it's ok, we can fix this. We can fix it." He said to her, trying to soothe her. "We can."

She didn't say anything, she just leaned back against her car and let him rain kisses all over her face. Then he put a hand on either side of her cheeks, rubbing his thumbs over her skin and looked into her eyes.

God, he had missed those eyes. He kept rubbing her face and staring at her, taking her in his eyes in a silent plea to her.

She knew what he was asking for, practically begging for with his eyes. This was exactly why she wouldn't take his calls, because she would fall back into his arms. All he had to do was look at her.

But she nodded her head yes.

Leaving him was the hardest thing she had ever been through in her life.

It wasn't even about children any more.

It wasn't about what he said either because as he was looking into her eyes, she realized it didn't matter.

It didn't hurt so much anymore and she wasn't mad.

She was right to leave him, it was the right thing to do _then._

She was so overwhelmed by the ticking of her biological clock that she couldn't think of anything else. She pestered him and haunted him every day trying to change his mind. That was wrong.

When they were younger they had talked about it and Daryl really thought he could do it. But as they got farther into their twenty's she kept saying she wanted to go off the pill, and he kept saying next year. Just one more year for us he would say. Every year.

Then they were almost thirty and she realized he would always say next year and she had no right to make him miserable because of what she wanted.

They had started to fight about it.

Then he said what he said and it had been like a switch was thrown in her head.

It was like domino's falling one after the other. Funny that a life together could be reduced to such a trite example.

His father had been abusive and he was terrified of perpetuating the cycle, a very normal fear.

He couldn't help how he felt.

Alisha was right to make her wait to start the hormones for in-vitro fertilization, it was a big commitment to have a baby alone.

All those thoughts went through her head as he pushed his lips in to hers so gently, and then with more hunger. He moaned against her lips and she opened up to him completely.

Her hands went up into his hair and he pulled her against him. He couldn't believe she was in his arms again, he really thought he'd never see her again.

"I missed you so much." She whispered.

He hugged her close again, breathing her in, whispering to her that he missed her so much too. Then he was saying he was sorry over and over. She was saying the same thing to him.

They had been at the point where they were indifferent to the other three years ago and everything was a fight.

He kissed her again deeper like he had been dreaming of for what seemed like forever now.

"I love you, I know you love me." He said to her and she nodded, tears were still falling down her face. "I know you do."

He noticed she was crying again.

"It's okay baby, it's going to be ok, I Promise." He said and he kissed her again because he just couldn't get enough of her. "Are you hungry, want to go eat?"

"No." She reached for him wound her arms around his neck holding him tight.

He knew where he wanted to go that was for sure.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked and didn't care what she said, he would take her anywhere she wanted to go right now. If she wanted to hop on a plane to Mexico he was in. South Pole, bring it.

"Maggie's at my place grading papers." She said.

Ok, she had just given him the green light.

He was taking her hand and leading her across the parking lot to his car. He was taking her somewhere that was for sure.

"On a Friday night? She's a superstar aint she." He said laughing. "Merle's at our house, guess we're going to a hotel."

She didn't object and he thought she might. She didn't say a word, very unlike her.

They got to his car and he hit the open button and opened the door for her and helped her in. He slammed the door and ran around the front of the car and got in.

"You're taking me to a hotel on our first date?" She said, breaking into a smile and she was about to laugh too.

Ah, there she was, his girl.

"Damn right." He said and she started laughing and he thought it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

"You know, I'm not usually this easy."

"I know you aren't." He winked. "But you're making an exception for me right?"

/

 ** _Nothing Gold Can Stay- by Robert Frost_**

They stopped at the first hotel they came to and he registered them as Mr. and Mrs. Dixon. The man behind the counter a nice fellow named Bob was rolling his eyes at them because they didn't act like any married couple. He checked in a lot of people in his time here at the front desk, he knew body language, and it was six o'clock at night.

This was more likely some kind of affair at work here.

They were laughing and he even kissed her right there in the lobby.

He wouldn't judge, it made him happy to see a couple so obviously in love and so eager to get at each other.

Bob was a big softie.

The man called her sweetheart and held her hand the whole time.

That made Bob smile and as soon as these two were gone he was calling his wife Sasha, just because.

He just shook his head as he watched them going down the hall holding hands, maybe they were on their honeymoon. But they didn't have rings on, Bob was very observant at his work.

He picked up the phone to call his wife, just to say hi to her and their kids.

/

When they got in the room and shut the door and he was kissing her again against the door. Her hands were already undoing the buttons on his shirt and his hands were snaking up the back of her shirt. Her skin felt so good under his fingers.

Three years was a long time to go without a drop of love. It was like being in a desert and going without water and being so thirsty for it. Then when you finally got it you wanted to drink it as fast as you could.

"I know we got a lot of things to work out, but this aint one of them." He said untucking his shirt and unbuckling his pants.

She watched him intently, there was something about when he unbuckled his pants that made her heart do summersaults in her chest every time. The sound of it, even after fourteen years together it was still a thrill.

Fourteen years together and three apart.

"We aint ever had problems doing this." He said coming towards her with a grin on his face, shirt wide open and pants unbuckled.

She actually licked her lips.

And he was right about that, even when they were fighting they still couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Except at the very end the last few months they hadn't been sleeping together at all. That was highly unusual and part of the reason she was so hurt by his words. 'Just go, find some other man to have babies with, you want them so bad, I aint doing it.'

And they weren't sleeping together, that was one of the domino's that started the cascade of doom for them.

Carol had told Maggie once back when they were married that she might be mad at him sometimes but that never carried over into the bed room.

She wasn't talking about make up sex either, that was a whole other thing entirely.

She could be royally pissed off at him, and still she would fuck him because she really liked fucking him.

To her it was like punishing herself because she was made at him.

Maggie said she was going to pray for a relationship like that one day. She met Glenn soon after that and so far so good with that.

That was kind of what Carole did these three years, but she punished them both.

At the time she had been so hurt she couldn't think straight. It had been a horrible thing he had said, the worst thing he ever said to her.

It did break her heart.

But maybe it could be fixed again, like he said.

She felt like it could.

They were walking towards the bed all arms and lips all over each other. Toeing off shoes and she was helping him as he was unzipping his pants, while he was trying to unbutton her pants at the same time. They almost fell.

"Have you?" He asked waving his hand towards the bed, trying to ask a question he really didn't want to know the answer to.

"No one." She said.

Ok, he was glad he asked, that answer filled up his heart so much he thought it would burst right out of his chest.

"Me either." He said in relief, he couldn't make himself date after the divorce. Merle offered to hook him up online, but he just couldn't.

Merle dated quite a bit when he discovered EHarmony and .

Still just all about each other, she thought to herself. Good.

Daryl was so relieved she couldn't do it either, it just cemented it more for them that they were meant to be together. Forever. The thought of her with someone else that way was something that kept him up many nights the last three years.

It was a horrible sexist thought, but they had learned everything together, it was a sacred thing to him and he didn't want some other man having what only belonged to him.

The back of her knees hit the edge of the bed and she fell backwards. He climbed over her one hand on either side of her.

"You sure about this?" He said, his face so close to hers. "I'm only asking once."

He looked down at her and she nodded and he was on her his lips and hands. It was like they couldn't get enough of each other and were afraid the other was going to disappear, or be a figment of their imagination.

His hands traveled all over her and everywhere he touched her she swore he was lighting her on fire. There was an electric current moving through her body under his hands.

She loved him, with every part of her being and soul.

Her legs were apart and he had one leg between them she could feel his dick against her, she reached down between them and stroked her hand over him.

He let out a hiss of pleasure but then he stopped and rolled off her onto his back.

She sat up. "What's wrong?"

He looked up at her.

"You aren't still on the pill are you?" He asked.

She shook her head and she saw his face fall.

"I didn't bring anything."

"What, you don't know by now I'm a sure thing?" She said laughing.

He sat up next to her grinning.

"I was just glad we were talking." He said. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm real glad how it turned out, but I..."

She started laughing more.

"Glad you think this is so funny."

"I have a Norplant." He looked at her with a confused expression. "In my arm."

She pointed to her left arm.

"Right there, it's a birth control implant, my OBGYN said no Bueno until I finished counseling."

"So we're good then?" He said looking at her hopefully.

She nodded. "Yeah, we're good."

"I guess we have a lot to talk about later." He said standing up and taking his pants off the rest of the way and his shirt, she did the same and his eyes never left her. "Didn't know you had a shrink too."

"Yup." She replied.

"Hey, what's that?" He said pointing to her ribs.

"It's a tattoo, nothing gold can stay. Robert Frost."

"And the Outsiders." He said leaning down to kiss her collarbone. "I love it."

"We have a lot to talk about." He quirked and eyebrow at her. "Later."

She pulled her shirt over her head and that was it he had her back on the bed in seconds.

He slid his hands over her belly and up her breasts followed by his mouth until they both couldn't take any more. She always loved his hands and he knew just how to touch her.

That was still the same.

One thing about him too, he didn't stop until she was well and truly spent, until her legs were shaking. Until they were both covered in sweat.

He did not leave one part of her untouched or kissed or licked, he made love to her like a starving man.

He was starving and so was she.

She rolled them over so that she was on top of him then pulled him up so that they were sitting up facing each other. Their faces inches apart, blue eyes on blue eyes, arms wrapped around each other she lifted herself up and slid down onto him. And both of them groaned out loud when she wrapped her legs around his waist.

And all the while they both knew, they had a chance. They really had a chance.

"You really have some throw down mister." Carol said pulling the blanket up over them and setting herself against him in the crook of his arm.

"Hungry?"

"Starving." She said laughing.

"Me too, ten minute rest, shower and dinner, sound good?"

She nodded and closed her eyes, her head on his chest listening to the beat of his heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**_I love you, I loved you all along and I forgive you for being away for far too long._**

 **** ** _Far Away-by Nickelback_**

 ** _A/N: I have been dying to put this particular song in one of my fictions. It was my wedding song and it was true. My wonderful husband and I were separated for a number of years and on 9/27/08 we danced to this song at our wedding._**

"Look, babe, they have Jalapeño poppers." Daryl said pointing to the menu for Carol to see across from him. "I'll ask if they're cheddar or cream cheese ok."

Carol looked across from him. It was ten o'clock and they we're in the diner across the street from the hotel. She texted Maggie and told her she was with Daryl and not to worry. Maggie texted back that she would see her tomorrow and that she expected a full report.

He was acting like he always did with her, calling her babe and sweetheart and making sure she got the food she wanted.

It was scary and comforting at the same time if that was possible.

"Just like that?" She said.

"Just like what?" He said holding the menu and looking at it.

"Your just gonna start taking care of me again, making sure the poppers are cheddar, all that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He shrugged.

His phone chirped out its ringtone. "Symphony of Destruction, by Megadeth. That was his ringtone three years ago, he hadn't bothered to change it.

That was Merle's favorite band and Daryl grew up listening to them by osmosis.

She had a flashback suddenly of when they were younger. Daryl and she were sitting on the hood of his truck watching Merle work on his bike. That song was playing, it was a sunny day and they had been married for around six days. He was behind her with his arms around her and she had her head back on his shoulder.

They were holding their hands together looking at their rings not believing they really did it. But being so happy about it. They belonged to each other, she remembered thinking that. Now they belonged to each other forever.

Merle and Maggie had gone to city hall with them and it was a small event, just Merle, Maggie and them.

They were both eighteen, husband and wife now.

He reached for the phone and there was Merles face. Carol laughed and indicated for him to go ahead and answer it.

"Where ya at brother." Merle asked, shoving popcorn in his mouth. Daryl knew exactly where he was and what he was doing. He was sitting in the recliner eating popcorn and watching "House Hunters." That was Merle's guilty pleasure, HGTV and Daryl was a dead man if he ever told.

"What's it to ya?" Daryl said quirking his lip at Carol and giving her a little smile that really just melted her heart.

"Everything ok?"

"Sure, we're at dinner." Daryl said.

"At ten o'clock at night? Thought your reservation was for…" Merle asked and then he got it. "Oh, oh guess I aint seeing you tonight."

"Nope."

"M'kay, bye, oh and Daryl, make sure you give it to her good so she comes back." He laughed his loud Merle cackle.

"You're obnoxious, bye Merle."

He pressed the end button and silenced the phone. He put it down scowling at it, no more calls tonight. Tonight was for her. For them.

Carol giggled. "How's Merle?"

"He's watching House Hunters." Daryl said. "And he's running his mouth as always."

Merle watching house hunters, she was sure it was the end of the world. Time to go stock up on water.

By that time the waitress was coming towards them with her notepad out.

"Do ya'll know what you want?" She asked, her nametag said Karen.

"Are the popper's cheddar?" Daryl asked and she nodded.

"OK, two orders and two iced teas, do you know what you want babe?" He said to Carol.

She nodded. "Turkey and cheese on rye well done fries please."

Daryl smiled, he knew she would order that. "Cheese burger and will you share your fries?"

Carol nodded, that's what they always did and it felt so familiar and sweet. Sometimes they shared the same drink and Merle used to tease the hell out of them. 'You two always find a way to be swapping spit' he would say.

The waitress nodded and told then she'd put the order right in. She walked away with the menus and Daryl leaned forward to her and took Carol's hands in his. For a minute she thought he was going to kiss her hand but he didn't.

"Ok. What were we talking about?"

"My poppers." She said.

He grinned at her. "I always loved your poppers."

"Seriously. " She swatted his hand. "You ..."

"Seriously, I missed you."

She knew that already, they had stood under the shower together just holding each other as the water spilled over their bodies. They held each other tight like they never wanted to let go.

She missed him too, more than she wanted to admit. He was in front of her now and she knew that being away from him was not an option for her. But they had some work to do.

But for that moment in time it felt right and good.

They had a lot of things to work out but they didn't think of that then. This moment was for them and as he stroked her back and kissed her shoulder he said a prayer that this time would be different.

This time it would be forever.

They washed each other in reverence, in love. Because neither one of them expected when they woke up the day before that they would be in the shower together the next day.

The events that happened in the last twenty four hours was mind boggling.

Two people that loved each other so much that they couldn't think of being with anyone else, even though they were divorced. That was a rare thing indeed.

It was comical really, most people couldn't stand an ex-spouse, and they couldn't stand to be apart. Even as they sat in the diner, both of them with wet hair, she knew they'd go back to the hotel and make love until they passed out.

They were only in this diner because they were starving, otherwise they wouldn't have gone out at all.

It was time to talk and he decided to go first, to help her feel at ease.

"Carol, I know I was way out of line, I know that's why you left, because of what I said." He looked at her with his eyes so soft. Such a direct contradiction of how he looked the day she left.

He wanted her to understand that he allowed himself to lose control that day and say something he knew would hurt her. He had wanted to hurt her feelings, he thought then she would stop.

That wasn't him, surly she knew that.

"Why would you think I would want someone else?" She asked. "I never even thought that."

"Me either, I swear Carol, never, it's you, it always has been I was feeling so much pressure, but I never, ever stopped loving you,"

"Maybe sometimes love isn't enough. " She whispered. As the waitress came back with their food and placed it on the table, then went to get their drinks.

"That's bullshit, have you been happy." He leaned forward looking at her. "I haven't, I've been sleepwalking for three years."

He took a popper and handed it to her, like he always did and then took one himself. He always picked up the first one to make sure it wasn't too hot for her.

"I've been trying." She said.

"Me too and all I've been is depressed, lonely and horny, alright?" He said throwing the popper in his mouth and he looked at her as she started laughing. "That aint a good combination."

He reached for another one on the plate and she just kept laughing.

"What's so funny? "He said and she just shook her head.

"I really tried to move on, the counseling, all the self-help things." She said. "But all you have to do is give me a little smile, start talking and making me laugh. That and a little kiss and here we are."

"Here we are." He said as the waitress brought their drinks. She sat everything on the table and let them know the rest of their food would be out soon. "T's where we belong, you and me."

"I forgive you." She said. "I did that a long time ago, and I couldn't forget you. Even though I wanted to sometimes"

He looked up. He tried to forget her too and had exactly zero luck. Tonight he would have been home watching TV with Merle, he thanked whatever higher power that was up there that he was here, with her.

"It's why I wouldn't answer the phone, I knew this would happen and so did you, staying mad at each other was never something we could do." Carol said.

"And don't you think that's says something about us?" He said. "I know there's things we got to deal with, I know that. Maybe we had to be apart, you know. To see what's important."

She nodded. It was true she had done a lot of soul searching in these three years, maybe he did too.

"I was so mad. But I'm sorry too, for trying to change you, and make you do something you didn't want to do. I was wrong." She said.

This was as good a time as any to get to the point of it he guessed. It was better to be honest. His time in counseling had taught him that as well as how to communicate his needs in an effective no threatening manner. He didn't fly off the handle with anyone anymore.

He had paid the price for that.

He also knew that he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to. He didn't know that before he started seeing Tyreese, his counselor. His childhood had taught him he didn't have choices, now he knew he had nothing but choices in life.

The choice to marry her was still the best one of his life in his opinion, but some things hadn't changed.

"I still don't want to." He said. He had to tell her, knowing it could be a deal breaker for everything, he prayed she wouldn't leave again.

She nodded. "I wouldn't think you would change your mind. I shouldn't have left you, it was a fight just like any other one. We would have made up that night, but I wanted to punish you for not giving me what I wanted."

She had been to counseling too and learned the world did not revolve around her, even though she had a husband that treated her that way. That just because she wanted something didn't mean she should have it.

What was the saying? Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

"My OBGYN, who Tara dates now by the way, suggested the Norplant, because she recognized, I don't know what exactly, but she suggested counseling and the birth control. We were revisiting it in six months from now."

The waitress came back with their main courses and placed it on the table. She asked them if they needed anything else.

They declined and she nodded saying "Enjoy your food." They both started eating.

"So what's that mean exactly?"

"It means, I think that we should go to counseling together and apart. To really think hard about what we both want. Spend time together out of bed, and maybe six months from now we'll know something."

He nodded. "So you aren't going to move back in."

"No, you knew that though didn't you?"

He took a bite of a French fry, smothered in ketchup that was the way they both always ate them. He knew that, he really did, but he was hopeful.

"But we can still sleep together?" He said nodding his head like he was trying to influence her and she laughed again. "Hey, I'm aware the old bump and grind isn't going to solve all our problems, but come on Carol it's just as…"

"Do you forgive me Daryl?" She asked suddenly.

"You don't know?" He asked. "I was too busy being mad at myself to be mad at you."

"But really do you?"

"Yup and when we go back across the street, I'm gonna forgive you some more." He took a sip of his soda. And she started laughing again. No one made her laugh like he did. "So the tattoo?

"What about it?" She asked.

"Robert Frost?"

"You know the poem, we read it in eleventh grade English, you know what it's about."

"Its about death, is that how you felt?" He asked, already knowing, it was exactly like her to tattoo a poem in herself to remind her. "Do you still feel that way?"

"I felt dead, but not anymore."

He nodded that was good. He would take that for now. They had a long road ahead of them. But this time they were walking it together, not apart and not at odds with each other.

 ** _A/N: Nothing gold can stay._**

 **** ** _By- Robert Frost_**

 **** ** _Nature's first green is gold._**

 **** ** _Her hardest hue to hold,_**

 **** ** _Her early leaf's a flower;_**

 **** ** _But only so an hour._**

 **** ** _Then leaf subsides to leaf._**

 **** ** _So Eden sank to grief,_**

 **** ** _So gold goes down to day_**

 **** ** _Nothing gold can stay._**


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: This is a short update and an interlude before they have to go back to the real world where their problems still await them._**

Maggie sent a text to Andrea, Tara and Michonne. "She just texted me, she's not coming home tonight."

Tara: She's with Daryl?

Andrea: Where are they, his house? Their old house?

Maggie: She said she's with him, and I don't know where they are.

Word traveled through the ranks quickly and Merle knew what was going on too. She expected as much and wasn't surprised when her phone started pinging when they got back to the hotel room. It could ping all it wanted but she wasn't answering it.

At the moment Daryl was pulling her to the edge of the bed slowly by her knees and putting them over his shoulders. He had managed to get her out of her cloths in three minutes when they got back to the hotel room. Typical for them and even though they had so much to work out she wanted this and she wanted him. She always had and he wanted her just as much.

He licked the inside of her ankle and already she was squirming already. Some men didn't know what they were doing between a woman's legs, but she had married someone who did.

 ** _But they weren't married anymore._**

They loved each other still though that was clear. He knelt at the foot of the bed in just his boxer shorts, holding her legs up on his shoulders.

"Aren't you going to get that?" He asked as he was bringing wet kisses up her leg and behind her knee.

He looked at her sideways and she swore she saw his sixteen year old self just then.

The way he looked at her, the turn of his eyes and that crooked grin, she swore it was that gangly kid looking back at her.

The memory would have knocked her off her feet if she had been standing.

"No, I'm not going to get that." She laughed. "It's probably Tara, she's the only one who would have the balls to text me."

"So text her back." he said moving up to her inner thigh and she could feel his hair on her leg and the scruff on his face. He kissed her thigh and moved his face against her.

He was driving her crazy on purpose.

"Stop teasing." She said trying to get up on her elbows.

"I'm not." And he grinned at her again and it was a grin of bad intentions. Then he made his way slowly to her with his fingers first.

She loved his hands, she loved the way they looked and what they could do to her. She couldn't stay on her elbows very long and she just fell back. He laughed and pulled her up to his face saying 'com'ere' into the skin on her thigh.

She let out a long sigh as he licked her, he knew exactly what he was doing, but he was a tease. That only made her crazier to the point where she wanted to grab him by the hair and keep him where she wanted him.

That was when he would grab he hands and hold them against her stomach to keep her still and he did just that, like she expected. He always knew when she was reaching for him and he'd get her hands before she could do it.

Every single time, so then he had both her hands against her stomach, holding her in place and she couldn't do anything. It equally drove her mad and excited her.

She didn't get upset when he held her that way. They trusted each other the way best friends did.

She had lost her best friend, and now he was back, whatever that meant.

She wiggled, trying to get t0 the edge of the bed so she could move herself against his face. She needed to come and she couldn't help moving her hips around now.

He hummed against her and spread her legs wide, rubbing his hand up her thigh. He felt her legs start to tremble there was a difference between a guy going down on you because he wanted something in return and a guy doing it because he liked it.

Andrea had told her that because she had only ever been with Daryl. It was obvious he really liked it, he made it his mission to pay attention so every movement and every sigh she made and he didn't stop until she was a screaming, trembling mess.

Every time and he was always so enthusiastic, she wasn't going to lie to herself and say she didn't miss this part.

He held her hands against her stomach with one of his as he set out to reduce her to a puddle of jelly and smiled to himself as she came screaming his name.

He crawled up to her and laid down next to her.

"I missed this." He said, brushing the hair out of her face.

"Me too."

She missed talking to him too, the easy conversations they always had and how perfect they fit together in every part of life.

Maybe they wouldn't always agree but they could work on finding some kind of balance for their situation and she knew now that every problem she had couldn't be solved in all one day.

She had been impetuous when she left him, packing her cloths in a rage. She remembered that day, throwing the suitcase around on the bedroom and packing in a frenzy.

Now she was in another kind of frenzy.

She climbed on top of him kissing down his neck the way he liked. She was struck by the thought that she had been so sure they were over and now, she was sure they had a chance.

She made her way down his neck leaving wet kisses and little bites along the way until he was going out of his mind. Then she was at his chest and going lower, and now he had his hands in her hair.

When Carol reached his stomach he let out a groan, low and deep, and then she was tugging on the waist band of his boxers. He lifted his hip so she could get them off and she made quick work of it.

"Car." He brought his hands to her hair. "You don't gotta."

She looked up at him, winked and licked him softly eliciting a moan of total absolute pleasure out of him.

"I want to."

He laid back and her hot, wet mouth was all over him. He couldn't take it though it was too much and he was going to lose it if he didn't stop her right away. He wanted to be inside her, he always wanted to be inside her.

It wasn't long before he was pulling her up and rolling her over so that he was between her legs.

She wrapped her legs around his back and arched up to meet his hips in the rhythm only they had together.

They fell asleep that night wrapped up in each other and slept a peaceful sleep that neither of them had had in a really long time.


	7. Chapter 7

Waking up to reality the next day was like getting hit by a mac truck. It started out fine, with them waking up in each other's arms. That was followed slow delicious lovemaking, not the hurried frenzy from the night before. It was a perfect way to start the day.

But then Merle called and was asking if they were all going to play 'Three's Company' now. He succeeded in annoying Daryl and spooking the hell out of Carol.

Daryl had to hang up on Merle because Carol had turned white when she heard what he said on the speaker of Daryl's phone.

"Hey Sis, I missed ya cookin, we all gonna play three's company now?" And she almost passed out.

Carol had an anxiety attack even thinking of what was next. They had been in some kind of love bubble for the last fourteen hours. And it burst big and loud that morning.

This was real life and they still had a fuckton of problems.

They had so much left to work through. He still didn't want children and she had six months before she and Alisha were going to revisit the topic along with her psychiatrist Karen.

It seemed to her that it was going to be all uphill except in the bedroom and she had sworn when she left that it wasn't enough to be madly in love with someone. That if they didn't agree on the most fundamental of topics how could they stay together?

That was why she left him. Also because she was furious with him, it didn't seem to be so bad now. If it went down that way now, she wouldn't leave.

She'd try to work it out with him, somehow. So essentially it took her three years of soul searching to end up here in a hotel room with her ex-husband who she was still in love with.

She sat on the side of the bed with her head between her knees with Daryl rubbing her back. It was the only thing he could think to do for her. He wanted to help her anyway he could. He had never seen her this way before and he thought he knew everything about her.

"Honey, its ok, Carol." He rubbed his hand all over her back trying to soothe her. "He was just being a jackass, you know how he is."

She struggled to get her breathing under control. It wasn't working at all. Her chest hurt and she was breaking out in a sweat. Merle wasn't a jackass, he was kidding with her and she lost her shit.

"What can I do honey?" He asked, not having one clue what to do for her and he was a little scared. He wanted to soothe her so he just kept rubbing her back. She always liked that in the past.

She shook her head and sat up. He came around and got on his knees in front of her. He put his forehead to hers.

"I got you, its ok Carol." He whispered softly to her, bringing his lips right to her ear and his arms around her waist.

"I'm ok, I don't know what happened, and I just couldn't breathe." She sat back and looked at him. "No that's not true, I'm not going to start this off by lying to you."

He looked at her not knowing what she was even talking about. This had never happened when they were together and they also never lied to each other.

"I have anxiety." She said. "It started after the divorce, it's why my obgyn sent me to counseling, and gave me the Norplant."

He listened, not saying anything, he didn't know what to say really. She was telling him how when she first left she went to Alisha to have her do invitro and Alisha had refused.

Carol was just out of a marriage and depressed, Alisha recommended she see Karen. She had been working with Karen ever since. Alisha put in the Norplant even though Carol wasn't sexually active, because from the way Carol always spoke about her ex, Alisha thought she shouldn't try for a baby so soon.

She wasn't over him and the last thing she needed was to become a parent.

Carol could have gone to another doctor, or slept with someone to get what she was so sure she wanted, but she didn't.

In her heart she knew. And now she spilled it all out to him. The anxiety had come almost from the day they separated.

"It's why Maggie and Tara and everyone was having a conniption last night." She said. "I don't take anything for it so when it happens I just have to ride it out."

"How do you feel now?"

"Oh, this was a small one. I've had them where I end up in the ER on oxygen." She said, not wanting to scare him, but wanting to be truthful.

"Do they know what causes them?" He said. "Besides Merle."

He smiled trying to make her laugh and it worked, she giggled. He swiped the hair out of her face and behind her ear and kissed her nose.

"Just something that developed when we weren't together." She said. "Karen, that's my shrink and Alicia my obgyn both said it was normal being what I was going through at the time."

"When I was calling you twenty four/seven." He said nodding. "I'm sorry Carol, for doing that, I didn't know what else to do, ya know? Merle had to come live with me. I could barely function. He had to run the business…. But I don't wanna talk about me. I wanna know what I can do for you."

He always put her first and that hadn't changed.

"You'll come to counseling with me and go on your own?"

He nodded. "Been going almost the whole time Car." He said. "It's helped me a lot and I'm sure you too right?"

He sat down next to her.

"We can figure this out. We'll both do what we have to do." He took her hand. "Do you want to go home, is this too much right now?"

And he always knew just what she needed even before she knew. This was why he truly was her soulmate, her twin flame and they had to work this out.

Life with him was so much better than life without him. He didn't let go of her hand once as she talked to him.

She had talked with Karen about this about the legend of soulmates. The legend says we are born as two people spiritually and physically. That long ago, the gods became angry at man and separated all mankind from their other half. This ensured that man would be destined to walk the earth alone forever looking for their other self.

Sometimes you found your soulmate and sometimes you didn't. Carol and Daryl had found each other, early in life.

Yet they were destined to walk the earth alone these past three years. But maybe, just maybe not any longer.

Karen encouraged her to read about soulmates and Twin Flames. The twin flame legend was even more thought provoking to Carol. It described them as they were right now completely.

Each twin is a complete soul, not half a soul. It is their task to become more whole, balancing their female and male sides, and ideally become enlightened, before reuniting with their twin. This reunion is of two complete and whole beings. All other relationships through all our lives could be said to be "practice" for the twin, the ultimate relationship.

In other words they were trying to work their way back to each other and completing any work they needed to do separately before reuniting.

What made her pick up the phone that day on her birthday? Was it fate or kismet, because she had been ducking his calls for three years? She had been living her life and doing her thing.

He had been doing the same and he had finally come to realize he was harming her by calling her so much. He backed off, worked on himself and did what he was supposed to do.

But he still called those few days a year.

Then on June ninth, her birthday she answered his call, not even knowing why. And here they were now.

Merle hadn't given her an anxiety attack, it was because of Daryl being her soulmate and not knowing if they could ever really work things out.

Because if they couldn't there would never be anyone else for her.

"Do you believe in soulmates Daryl?" She asked. "I mean that there is only really one person for someone and if you miss the chance you'll be alone.

"I believe in you and me, if you want to call it something special, go right ahead, neither of us is the same person we used to be, and that's a good thing, all we got to do is try."

She nodded. "I'm gonna try Daryl."

"Me too."

A/N: I believe in soulmates and twin flames. I found mine at the age of seventeen and we were separated for many years. We both had work to do before we were ready for each other. We are together seven years now. Thank you for reading.


	8. Chapter 8

**_You and me, we used to be together, every day together._**

 **** ** _Don't Speak—by No Doubt_**

Carol went home after Daryl dropped her off at her car. They spent a few minutes making out in the parking lot like a couple of teenagers and then said good bye. He didn't press her for a day to see her again, he knew she needed time to process everything. This was overwhelming for both of them in the light of day.

They knew they had acted rashly the night before running to a hotel together. Now the real work was going to have to be done. They agreed that they were up for it and that it was worth it.

To get another chance with each other was a gift neither one would squander.

Daryl would give her all the time she needed to process this.

Hell he needed to process it too. He had woke up two days ago missing her and broken hearted and now things were all different. It was good and bad all at the same time.

They were setting the wheels in motion right away, they had already talked about it all.

Maggie came in the bathroom where she was soaking in the tub and sat down next to the tub with two cups of tea. Maggie was the best friend she ever had, stood by her during everything in life. They had each other's backs and Maggie never judged her or made he feel stupid.

"Feel better?" She said sipping her tea with Carol.

Carol nodded Maggie's apple cinnamon tea was the cure all for everything bad in the world.

"Good, I'm glad. Do you want to talk?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah." She said. "I really do." Carol sipped her tea." Maggie, do you love Glenn?"

Maggie nodded. "With all my heart."

"If he didn't want children, if he told you beforehand. Would you still marry him?"

"I would." Maggie answered.

"You answered so fast. You have no doubt."

"Not one." Maggie said taking a sip of her tea.

Carol sat up and took her tea cup and sipped.

"I don't know where to start, things went so bad so fast with Daryl, and up until then, we were happy, really happy. I feel like I gave up too soon."

"Well, it's true don't you think? "Maggie asked. "You always seemed happy, over the moon even. I wished for what you two had, honestly."

Carol laughed. "And then we got divorced and you said, nope."

Maggie laughed. "No, I always thought you two would get back together."

She sipped her tea and grinned at Carol.

"I still think that."

"I think I was mad at him for not doing what I wanted." Carol smiled. "It was the first time he ever told me no, about anything."

"So, now what?"

"I want him back, I've never felt more alive, since before the divorce as I do right now." Carol said. "I made a big mistake."

"Will he go to counseling with you?"

"Yes, and Maggie, get this. He's been in counseling for almost this whole time."

"Did you two talk about things, does he still not want to."

"No, he doesn't and I understand why and I think the two of us could be enough for me. I really do."

"Just like that."

"No, we have stuff to work on still, we both agree to that." Carol said. "But we want to be together and find some way to fix things with us."

"Did you talk about children when you were young, before you got married?" Maggie asked. "I'm curious and I always wanted to ask, but I didn't want to upset you."

Carol nodded. "He wanted to, when we turned twenty five we said we would start trying, but he got scared. He tried to explain it to me and I was so mean to him over it."

She looked at Maggie and her eyes were soft, it was as if it just occurred to her, she never saw his point of view. He was afraid and she tried to force him to face that fear in the most horrible way.

It was cruel of her really,

She sunk down into the bathtub and let the water go all through her hair. The realization that she had pushed away the only man she had ever loved was overwhelming. She didn't have a baby and in the end, now? She felt like it was a good thing she didn't.

When she sat back up she looked at Maggie.

"He didn't mean what he said, he said he would take it back in a heartbeat if he could."

"I believe that." Maggie said. "I think sometimes people say things they don't mean, when they get angry and otherwise would never say."

"I really thought he didn't love me, and that he would send me away to someone else. I wouldn't forgive him either."

"You know what Carol, that's all over now, maybe you both needed to be apart to fully appreciate what you had? You know?"

She handed her a towel and Carol got out wrapping it around her.

"It's just so stupid really." She said stepping over the tub. "I left him over something he said that was mean when I had been mean to him for months before that."

"Is he going to see Karen with you?"

"Tuesday at three." Carol said.

"Come on lets go watch Practical Magic that always cheers you up. We can call Tara and Andrea too." Maggie said as they exited the bathroom. "We can make midnight Margarita's."

"Then call Michonne too, she loves that movie."

/

Tara, Michonne and Andrea arrived in an hour and they sat in the living room of Carol and Maggie's place eating junk food and watching their all-time favorite movie. Tara brought tequila and they were drinking Margarita's. That was the tradition when they watched Practical Magic.

That movie had gotten the five of them through a lot of hard times in the past and it could be a cure to what ailed you.

"Ok." Tara said shoving a handful of popcorn in her mouth. "For nothing else at least you got laid after three years that must have been fucking awesome."

Carol sunk down in her chair. "That's not going to solve our problems."

"It's not gonna hurt." Andrea said and they dissolved into fits of laughter. "I mean come on who better than him, you know each other so well, and I bet it was fucking awesome."

"It was." Carol said and covered her face with a blanket.

"For the record." Michonne said. "I haven't seen you look this good since way before you guys split. Don't discount a good roll in the hay, I think it did you some good."

"There's so much we have to figure out." Carol said pulling the blanket down.

"And you have the rest of your lives to figure it out." Tara said. "He's your lobster you know."

"I hate that show." Andrea moaned.

"Me too don't worry." Carol said. "But thanks Tara, I know what you meant."

"What are we watching after this?" Maggie said pouring herself another Margarita.

"What do ya got?" Michonne asked getting up to look on the shelf, she picked out a few movies and brought them back.

"Ok." Tara said. "We got, Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Less than Zero and Red Dawn number one."

"Daryl loves Red Dawn." Carol said absentmindedly. "I can recite the whole movie I've seen it so many times."

"I say Breakfast Club." Maggie said.

"Always a good choice." Michonne said.

That night they got really drunk and watched all their favorite movies. All five of them piled into Maggie's bed and fell asleep together. In the morning Carol staggered out into the kitchen followed by Tara and her phone was flashing that she had a message.

It simply said **_I love you._**

/

"You finally done knocking boots with your ex-wife." Merle cackled as Daryl walked into the house late on Saturday afternoon.

Daryl looked better than he had in three years. He looked like he got some sleep and was rested. Daryl hadn't slept past three am since Carol left.

Merle noticed things, he might not say anything but he noticed. He knew his brother was disintegrating before his eyes without her. Maybe her running into him that night was meant to be. Maybe it made her heart soften. They would never know but he was damn glad things were changing.

He had to bust his balls though, it wouldn't be right if he didn't. It would make Daryl think they had been invaded and Merle was taken over by a pod person or something. He had to give him a hard time. This wasn't Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

"What's it to ya." Daryl replied.

"Nothing to me, what's it to you?" Merle said, raising his eyebrows.

"It's everything." Daryl replied.

/

 ** _Broke into the old apartment,_**

 ** _This where we used to live._**

 ** _Broken glass, broke and hungry._**

 ** _Broken hearts and broken bones_**

 ** _This is where we used to live._**

 **** ** _The Old Apartment—by The Bare Naked Ladies_**

Daryl waited for her outside the office of Karen Watson PHD, he was smoking a cigarette leaning against his car. He was listening to The Old Apartment by The Bare Naked Ladies on his iPod. He was nervous and he didn't know why, it wasn't like he hadn't been to a counselor before. He actually saw his last night, he had called Tyreese and asked to see him pronto.

He gave Tyreese credit, he never judged or made remarks. Daryl told him that he had spent the night with his ex-wife doing little more than fucking and Tyreese said "How does that make you feel?"

Well it made him feel pretty damn good since it had been three years and that's what Daryl told him. Tyreese nodded his head but there was a slight quirk to his lip. Tyreese was alright.

"We talked a lot too." Daryl added as almost an afterthought.

Tyreese just nodded. "Do you want her back? After all that's happened? Will you give her what she wants?"

Daryl shook his head. "Told her, I still don't want to."

Tyreese looked up from his glasses observing him.

"She accepted that?"

"She's trying." Daryl replied and that was enough for him. They were both going to try. "We both are."

Tyreese nodded and they made an appointment for the next week.

Daryl turned up the song and sang along with it. He had heard it last year on some old grunge station and it fit his life perfectly. He listened to it often and for some reason it gave him peace.

He turned and saw her car pulling into the parking lot and he raised his hand to wave to her.

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading, let me know what you think.**_


	9. Chapter 9

Karen was no Tyreese, she had no problem calling people out on their bullshit and had done it with Carol a few times in the past.

Sometimes people had to face the truth about things and their lives and Karen was not sugar coating anything for anybody.

That would be a huge disservice and she believed in honesty at all times. That was why Alisha recommended her in the first place.

Carol had been a challenge for Karen. She came to her saying she wanted a baby, yet she was clearly still in love with her ex-husband, who didn't want children at all.

Alisha, seeing that Carol needed someone to talk to after her divorce sent her to Karen. There was no way Alisha was going to sign off on invitro for Carol when she first came to her. Other doctor's might just take her money and do the procedure and not worry.

Alisha was not that kind of doctor, she cared deeply about all of her patients. She saw that Carol was almost desperate and that didn't bode well. They needed to know why she was so desperate and if she realized the challenge of single parenthood.

Karen was a single mother, of three girls and she had a husband at one time, it still wasn't easy even when Jim was alive.

When he died, her life got hard. It would not be an easy life for Carol either.

Tara was Carol's friend and that was how Alisha came to be Carol's doctor, when she and Tara met on a dating site.

Carol had come to her wanting to have a baby and in the middle of the consultation that first time, Alisha had gleaned that she was newly divorced. She had been upfront with Alisha and honest about still loving Daryl even after she left him. She wasn't ready to even think about invitro, even if she thought it was what she wanted, so Alisha sent her to Karen

Karen had her reading self-help books and trying to improve herself from the jump. She also called her right out on the invitro thing, it was not a good idea three months after her divorce was final.

Carol had a lot of work to do on herself first before she could ever think of becoming a mother.

Then slowly they addressed her issues, about leaving Daryl and why she did it. So by the time they both sat in front of her that day Karen knew their complete history.

She knew they met at the age of fourteen in geometry glass and married right out of high school. Karen knew they were incredibly happy for most of their marriage until Carol started talking about babies.

That was when it all went bad. Karen knew how incredibly angry Carol was with him for not keeping his word to her. They talked about having kids from the minute they knew they would be together and he agreed with her, then.

He changed his mind and that was part of what led to the demise of their marriage. She had decided that love wasn't enough and she left.

What he said to her didn't help things at all, so she decided to give him just that. She would leave and find her own way to have a baby.

She couldn't be with anyone else, it felt so wrong. He couldn't either, and here they were.

Karen sat behind her desk and met both of their eyes as she began to speak.

"It's nice to finally meet you Daryl, I feel like I know you already." Karen said to him.

He nodded. "I guess so." He looked over at Carol. "She tell you about me?"

Karen nodded. "Let me tell you a little about what Carol and I do here. We spend the first half hour of our sessions with her doing free talking with me, about anything she wants to talk about. I don't comment or advise her. The second half hour we engage in dialogue with each other. It's uncommon for counselors to give advice and I try not to do that. But I do steer her towards helpful books or activity."

Daryl nodded, he was used to this with Tyreese but Ty never recommended things for him to do, it was more Daryl talking and Ty listening. Sometimes he would say something about the topic, but not too often. He preferred to have Daryl reach his own conclusions about things.

"Do you think this might be good for both of you to engage this way?" Karen asked.

They both nodded and Daryl spoke up. "We have to engage some way, this is as good as any."

"Fair enough." Karen said. "So free talking first? What's on your minds today?"

/

By the end of the session they had both copped to sleeping together the previous Friday night out of desperate need to be together. Carol had told Karen that she would never see him again for that very reason. Karen was well aware of the attraction they always had to each other.

She wouldn't even take his calls, if she heard his voice she knew she would cave. Just like she did on Thursday when she agreed to meet him the next day. Karen knew all this and she listened to them noncommittedly. The first half hour they talked to each other about their marriage and how it had once been.

The second half hour the three of them talked, true to her word Karen gave no opinion but she asked questions that were meant to draw them out.

"Are there plans to do that again?" Karen asked and Carol blushed so deep her face almost matched her red shirt that she was wearing.

Daryl had no problem speaking up. "As soon as I can talk her into it again."

Karen smiled at his candor, couples therapy always worked better when they were honest and he certainly was.

"Daryl!" Carol said feeling embarrassed for the first time with Karen.

"Just bein honest, but I know that's not the answer to fix what we broke."

"Probably not, but you both want to fix it and that's a start. I have to warn you both though, the reason you broke up, that's still there and it's a big thing between you."

"We don't have to solve it in one day either." Daryl said.

"Ture enough." Karen stated and then let them know the hour was up.

/

 ** _Don't you worry there's still time._**

 **** ** _You Wouldn't Like Me-Tegan and Sara_**

They saw Karen twice a week for a few weeks and were making progress in the communication that had been so lacking before with them. They actually talked without getting angry and were able to see the other's point of view.

They went out together often but lived apart. They spent time with their group of friends, both together and apart. They were almost a couple again, just taking time to get to know each other all over again.

They slept together sometimes and sometimes they didn't, it was almost normal. If dating your ex-husband could be considered normal in any dimension.

Carol and Daryl gave each other space to think and that was a new concept that Karen had suggested. They couldn't move back in together with things still unresolved, but they were moving forward. Both of them hoping they could be together again without resentment, one day.

One night in August Maggie and Glenn left to go on a weekend trip. Carol and Daryl had been in counseling for a little under two months, both together and separately.

It was going well for them having another person mediate and assist them was doing wonders for them. They were eating pizza at her apartment that Friday night and Daryl had been staring at her all night he wasn't hiding it either.

Finally she said something to him. "What's with you tonight?"

"Just looking at you."

"I see that." She said walking back to the couch and sitting down with him.

"Just, I'm really happy, I know that there's shit still, but at least we're talking."

She nodded. "I know."

"I love you, you know. I mean I really love you." He said softly. "I've always loved you."

"I really love you too." She said smiling and turning to face him on the couch.

"I wish I could give you what you want."

"Let's not talk about it tonight, we can bring it up with Karen on Tuesday ok?"

"Ok, sure."

She leaned over and kissed him and they both sighed like they always did when they kissed now. It was special and something they never thought they would ever have again.

It was sacred and something to not ever take for granted.

"You and Merle going hunting tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Getting up at four."

"Okay." She said climbing onto his lap. "I know you can't stay late, but can you stay a little while?"

He took a deep breath and pulled her closer, so that her legs were on either side of his and gave her a scorching kiss.

"That feel like I'll stay a while?" He asked and she smiled grinding her hips into his. She kissed him again and moved herself down his lap.

He stood up and maneuvered them so that he was on top of her and they were pulling at each other's clothes before too long. It was frantic, like it always was now, two starving people trying to get the food they needed.

She lifted her hips to help him get her pants off and he unceremoniously threw them across the room, along with her underwear.

He stood up and unbuckled hid belt and unzipped his pants, dropping them on the floor with a clank. Then he was back on top of her and kissing her. He moved his mouth down her neck leaving wet kisses along the way and his hands were working their way under her shirt.

"Sweetheart, there aint nothing better in the world than you." He murmured against her skin as his hands found their way to her breasts.

The only breasts he had ever touched in his life. He hadn't even kissed a girl before her. They were on the other side of thirty already and had only ever been with each other.

He took his time running his hand over her, teasing her nipple through her bra until it was hard and she was moaning.

"Daryl, if you don't get moving, I'm going to kill you." She said taking his hand and bringing it down between her legs.

"That what you want sweetheart?" He said running his fingers along her folds and pushing one finger inside her.

"Fuck, Daryl, yes." She arched her back and pushed her hips into his hand. "Yes."

"That's it, good girl Carol." He crooned into her ear. "Come on baby, come all over me."

He didn't stop until she was screaming his name in the quiet apartment then her hands were grabbing at him and easing him inside of her.

Then he was moving like she had asked him to both their hips crashing into each other until they both exploded in a haze of sweat and exhaustion.

They fell asleep on the couch with him still on top of her.

He woke up around midnight and carried her to her bed, tucking her in carefully and kissing her goodnight. He went back into the living room and got dressed.

In the kitchen he found a note pad and pen and wrote her a note.

 ** _Carol,_**

 **** ** _No matter what happens and no matter how this works out. I have loved you all my life and I will love you the rest of my life. Thank you for giving us a chance again._**

 **** ** _All my love,_**

 **** ** _Daryl_**

 ** _/_**

The phone was ringing and she couldn't figure out what was going on at first. She was in her bed naked, Daryl must have carried her. She reached for the phone and turned on the light. The clock said two am, and she was confused and sleepy still, wondering why someone was calling her.

She answered without looking and Merle voice came yelling through the phone, before she even got the hello all the way out of her mouth.

"Carol, he was in an accident, they took him to Grady, unresponsive."

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading, don't kill me yet ok. There's more.**_


	10. Chapter 10

She flew out the door dressed so haphazardly that she was sure if she got pulled over the cop he would take one look at her and send her on her way. They would have to catch her first though, she didn't plan on stopping for anything or anyone.

She looked scary and she didn't care, she didn't even brush her hair. The roads were dark and quiet at two twenty am.

She was going to speed to and just let them try and pull her over, that wasn't happening.

Merle was meeting her at the hospital, but it was a twenty minute drive from where she was. That gave her time to pray and she did it out loud, begging God to please not take him away from her. She realized in that moment as she cried her prayers up to God that she could not live without him.

Walking out on him and living apart, those years all wasted in her mind now. If something happened to him and she had wasted those three years because she was chasing a dream of what she thought her life should be, she would never get over it.

Three years that they could have been together.

 _They would just have to dig two graves._

An ideal of what you were supposed to want was just that, an ideal, it wasn't fact. Of course she loved children, she was a teacher. That didn't mean she would be incomplete without children of her own. She had it all wrong all along.

She thought she was supposed to be one thing, a mother all her life. She was supposed to be, not wanted to be.

He was what she wanted. She had been so stupid and selfish and now it might be too late. She would take it back, all of it if she could. She wished to turn back time and change it all.

She cried all the way there and stopped and texted Merle when she was close to tell him to meet her outside.

Merle was smoking a cigarette, leaning against the wall outside the hospital as she barreled into the parking lot on two wheels practically. She parked and ran over to Merle like she was being chased by a serial killer.

"Easy darling, they won't let us back there, they're working on him." Merle said.

"The hell they won't." She said grabbing Merle's cigarette and taking a drag. "Come on lets go."

She swung her purse over her shoulder and stomped into the ER.

/

There were people working on Daryl and he was in and out of consciousness. His head hurt like a motherfucker and they were starting an IV on him, he could feel that. He was out of it almost entirely but he heard someone talking to him. He could have sworn they said "Your wife is out in the lobby pitching a fit, so you better come back to us."

Then he was out again.

/

The nurse finally let Merle and Carol in the room and she explained things to them. He was on a ventilator because he had a collapsed lung and broken ribs from the CPR the man who found him tried to do. Daryl had been hit head on by a drunk driver who fled the scene. He sustained serious injuries.

A truck driver had come upon the scene and found him unconscious and called the ambulance. He then gave Daryl CPR and that had saved his life.

They had him in a drug induced coma to heal the swelling on his brain, which they were handling with medications through the IV line.

The next 24 to 48 hours were going to be crucial and would be touch and go until then due to the possibility of a head injury.

It was a big waiting game now.

Carol pulled up a chair and sat down next to his bed and she looked at his face, he had two black eyes from where he hit the steering wheel and various cuts on his face. There was bruising all over his chest and his lip was split.

She let the tears slip down her face not caring if Merle or the nurse saw her.

Merle touched her shoulder as she held Daryl's hand.

"I'm not leaving him Merle." She said taking hold of Merle's hand on her shoulder with her other hand.

"I know Sis." Merle replied.

She didn't leave his bedside except to go to the bathroom or to go to the chapel and chat with God. She was making deals, begging and crying now. She needed a miracle and she would bargain with the devil if it saved his life. The Devil or God whoever answered first, she wasn't being picky.

She never stopped talking to him or holding his hand.

She held his hand through the night and talked to him about their life together, telling him the story of them as if she was reading it from a book. She started with their first meeting at fourteen and talked to him about what their life together was.

She told him about how even before he asked for help in geometry, she had always thought he was cute. She told him that he was and always would be the best thing that ever happened to her.

That he was all she needed and she couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before. She wasn't incomplete at all, he was her other half, she was already whole with him.

As the hours dragged on with no change at all and the machines rattled on she recited their story, reliving and seeing their life together with new eyes.

It was a good life. And she wanted it back now.

The words tumbled out of her memory with ease and on the third day when the nurse came on at eleven pm Carol was sitting there telling him about when he took her fishing when they were sixteen and she stood up and tipped the boat over. He didn't get mad at her and they laughed about it for a long time after that.

Her memories were bittersweet now, she finally knew what she really wanted and it might be too late.

The nurse, who Carol recognized now as the same nurse that was on the night before, by the name of Kathleen, hung a new IV bag and smiled down at Carol.

"Can I get you anything Mrs. Dixon? I think we have some ginger ale in the kitchen?"

"I'm ok thanks Kathleen." She smiled and pulled a blanket over her shoulders. She had slept there the night before and the one before that and intended to do the same tonight too. Despite Merle bitching that she needed to take care of herself.

"Keep on talking to him, they say people in coma can hear."

Carol nodded, she had heard that and she fully intended to talk the entire time until he woke up. They had taken him off the vent earlier in the evening and he was breathing on his own but still not awake. She stood up and leaned over to place a sweet kiss on his lips and a tear fell from her eye and landed on his face. She wiped them away softly.

"Mrs. Dixon, his EEG came back normal, they D/C'd the Mannitol, for the cerebral swelling, it's resolved now. Also they backed off the other medications so he could wake up at any time." She said. "Head trauma was minimal as far as they can tell. He'll wake up soon."

"And I intend to be there."

"You really love him it's so plain to see." Kathleen said and Carol nodded. "You don't see love like that every day."

/

Merle was there the next morning with coffee and bagels for Carol and he once again started telling Carol to go home. He was worried about her because she hadn't left the hospital in three days. She looked like hell and Merle didn't like it one bit.

He felt responsible for her well-being, and he wanted to do the right thing by her, Daryl would want that. But she was one uncooperative woman.

Maggie and Glenn were going to come offer to sit with him so she could go home to sleep but she would tell them no.

Her friends were worried about her and Merle told her he was going to carry her out over his shoulder when Maggie and Glenn got there.

"Merle I'm not leaving him, I'm never leaving him again." She said softly. "Not ever."

"Come on Sis, we'll call you if anything changes."

"No, Merle I have to be here, I have to tell him." She said.

"You're exhausted and you need to get some good sleep."

""I'm not going." She put her hands on her hips now.

"I'll carry you out myself, don't think I won't, Carol….."

"Will you leave her the fuck alone Merle." A voice came from the bed and both of their heads turned to where Daryl was grimacing but very much awake. "You two are making my head hurt."


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my ff bff Magenta's Nightmare. Thank you for always double checking my stuff and helping me with plots and what not. You are the best ff bff and I couldn't do this without you ily Tabitha._**

Merle pushed the call light and then ran to the door and out into the hall way. Carol walked over to the bed and leaned down over the side rails to touch him, hug him. The sight of his eyes open again almost made her weep with relief. She tentatively put her arms around him because she was sure he was still in pain.

He didn't wince at all and pulled her close to him letting out a sigh of relief.

"Welcome back." She said softly in his ear.

She could hear Merle out in the hallway calling out "Teagan, Teagan he's awake." Teagan was Daryl's day nurse and Carol was pretty sure Merle had his eye on her.

She was actually sure of it.

"I'm sorry Carol." Daryl whispered into her hair, taking a long deep breath of her. She felt so good in his arms and she smelled so good. He winced from the pain and Carol moved back from him.

"Shhhhh its ok, we're gonna be ok." She ran her hand through his hair. "We'll talk when you're better."

Merle busted through the door followed by a nurse in dark blue scrubs. She carried a penlight in her hand as she approached Daryl's bedside.

"Hello there Mr. Dixon, we've been waiting on you to start this party." She said smiling at Carol and positioning herself at the opposite side from Carol.

"Daryl, this is Teagan, she's been your nurse for the last three days, and I'll get out of your way." Carol said backing up and Daryl nodded at the light haired nurse before him now.

Carol walked over to Merle who was watching closely as the nurse checked Daryl's pupils and had him squeeze both her hands.

"She's cute aint she." He whispered to Carol.

Carol looked over at him and smiled. "You're incorrigible."

"Course, I am." He said watching Teagan now move to Daryl's feet where she took a pen out of the bun her hair was in and slid it along the sole of his foot assessing his neurological status.

"Looking good, Mr. Dixon, I need to call the house Doctor and tell him your back, I'll be right back." She made her exit giving Merle a slight smile as she walked by.

/

Merle gave Carol and Daryl a few minutes alone because they both looked like they were going to lose their shit any second. They both were on the verge of tears and he didn't want to witness that. They needed privacy for right now.

He looked up and she was coming down the hall way, her white shoes making a scuffing sound. He noted the stethoscope hanging out of her pocket and the clamps hanging off the bottom of her jacket.

She made a clanking sound as she came towards him and to Merle, that was the sound of paradise. They were on a first name basis since Merle started to charm her two days ago. She was cute, he made no excuses for it.

"He gonna be ok?"

He said as she approached and leaned against the wall next to him. She blew a stray hair out of her face and Merle had to put his hands behind his back because he wanted to push that hair behind her ear for her. He was pretty sure that wasn't appropriate.

Her voice brought him back from the thoughts he was having.

"There's no reason to think he wouldn't be, all the tests came back good. He'll have to stay a few more days but, there's no reason he wouldn't make a full recovery." She said.

Merle was relieved, he didn't ever say it, especially to Carol but he was worried he wouldn't wake up and now that he had Merle sincerely hoped those two got their shit together.

"Great, thanks sugar."

"The doctor is on his way up, I have to give him some meds…." She said pushing herself off the wall.

"Ok, I won't keep you."

She started to open the door to Daryl's room, knocking softly to let them know she was coming in.

"Hey, Teagan?"

"Yes, Merle." She turned back towards him, with her hand still on the doorknob of Daryl's door.

"You like motorcycles?" He asked.

She nodded and gave him her quirky smile that he had come to love. "I get done at three." She said and then she was inside the room, leaving him in the hallway with a big grin on his face.

/

Daryl was in the hospital for five more days total. Carol went home and took a shower finally the day he woke up and Maggie was home when she got there. She had called her and told them Daryl was awake and not to come until later after the doctors were done with him.

There were more tests ordered and things they needed to do for him.

She noticed right away as she came out of the bathroom showered and dressed that Maggie was wearing a wedding ring.

"Oh my god you eloped?" She cried as she hugged Maggie. "That's where you went this weekend, how did I not figure that out."

"We decided on Saturday, we tried to call, but…." She said leading her over to the couch. "I need to tell you something, let's sit."

They both sat down on the couch together.

"We don't want you to leave or anything, we have plenty of room." Maggie said taking her hands.

"Mags don't worry I'm going to Daryl's when he gets discharged, we're going to try and work it out, and he's going to need my help at the very least."

"That's wonderful, listen I want you to know, you are welcome here if you need. Glenn is moving in but this is your home too."

"I think my home is with him Maggie." And Maggie nodded to her.

"There's more" Maggie said. "I'm pregnant."

Carol jumped off the couch an expression of pure joy on her face. "Oh my god, oh my god, Maggie."

She hugged her again and then sat down again.

"Oh my god we're having a baby! I'm going to be an aunt." She hugged her again. "I'm so happy for you."

/

Teagan came into Daryl's room later that day after they got done with all the tests. He was in pain from moving around and he noticed she had a syringe in her hand.

"This is for pain, Tramadol, last one, doc says you're going home in a few days."

She saw his eyes rolling before she even got to the side of his bed.

"Don't worry, it goes in the IV." She smiled at him and proceeded to start the IV push. He relaxed back into his pillows with relief that he wasn't getting a shot, he was afraid of needles. He was curious about what Merle had told him about her earlier.

"My brother said he's taking you out today?"

She nodded her hands still at the IV, pushing the med over two minutes.

"He's alright, saved me really, when Carol left."

"Yeah, he said you all are divorced." She quirked her eyebrows at him. "But I have to tell you, that woman that sat by your bed for three days? She's still your wife."

With that comment out Merle and Carol came in. Carol had a cup with a lid and straw sticking out of it. She looked like herself again and she looked happy. Really happy.

"They had malt powder Daryl, chocolate too." She beamed at him as she brought the cup to him and helped him sit up. 'Extra thick."

Teagan backed up and stood next to Merle a little way away from them and turned to Merle.

"They're really divorced." She said to him as she watched Carol fussing over him and the obvious happiness they both showed at being together.

"Yeah, they're divorced alright, but I don't think it took." He laughed.

She giggled into her hand. "Where are we going later Merle?"

"Anywhere you want to go sugar." He answered.

/

 ** _This is where we used to live._**

 ** _The Old Apartment—by Bare Naked Ladies_**

Carol brought Daryl home four days after he woke up. All of the tests had come back normal and the only thing he had to do was avoid lifting because of his ribs. He was still in pain and he needed her help. They had talked a little bit in the hospital about what was next.

She was definitely staying until he was better.

She had been back to their old house with him a few times in the past few months, he and Merle hadn't changed much, mostly added some of Merle's things. The house was cozy and warm like it always had been.

Carol noticed some of her books that she forgot by the couch where Daryl sat. Her complete works of ee cummings, To Kill a Mockingbird and her second copy of The Stand. He had been reading her books and that made her smile.

She hadn't noticed that before the half dozen times she had been there. He was a reader as well, but his taste went to more biographies, not so much fiction. She was the fiction and poetry lover in the family.

They sat down on the couch after she had made them lunch with two cups of tea. He was tired and the doctor's said that was normal and he would need to rest frequently. He would need someone with him all the time and Carol was still on summer break from school.

Merle had to go back to work and run the garage in Daryl's absence and he had a new girlfriend to spend time with now too.

Daryl shook his head at that thought, he had been in the hospital for seven days and Merle had been macking on that girl the whole time.

Carol said she really thought he had met his match and maybe this one was going to be the girl to tame Merle Dixon.

She wished them well because her brother in law was one of her most favorite people on this earth and the nurse who took care of her husband was an angel as far as she was concerned.

They were a good pair and Merle was smitten and good for him, and her.

She noticed Daryl was getting tired and offered to get him a blanket so he could lay down. After he made the customary sexual remark he actually said he wanted to take a shower.

She had been in their old room before, twice when Merle hadn't been home over this summer, but it still made her nervous.

"Ok, let's go." She said holding her hand out to him.

"Can do it myself." He said.

"I want to help you." She said he voice soft to his ears, a beautiful sound that he never got tired of hearing.

She was right, he needed help and he nodded once.

They walked through their old room to the bathroom and she helped him unbutton his shirt and get his jeans down because he was still in pain from his ribs.

"I heard you, you know?"

"They said you might, I'm glad."

She said turning on the water for him, He stepped into the shower and was surprised when she took her clothes off and got in with him. She grabbed a wash cloth and soap and started to wash him gently.

"Don't act so shocked, we've showered together before you know?"

"Not lately." He said giving her a crooked grin.

"You need my help and I like you a lot." She smiled at him, bringing the wash cloth over his face and then rinsing the soap off. "Lemongrass? My favorite."

She smiled knowing he had kept it as a reminder of her and it warmed her heart so much. Her heart that she was sure was cold to him wanted only to be with his heart now.

"Did you mean all that stuff you said? I was in and out but I remember some things."

"I meant it all." She said running the wash cloth over his shoulders and chest, careful not to press hard because she didn't want to hurt him.

"I heard your voice and I wanted to get back to you so badly." He said and his voice was cracking as he spoke from the deep emotion he was feeling. "I was wrong, I heard you crying and praying and making your deals with God, asking forgiveness for being selfish."

She looked up at him and met his eyes and he continued.

"You weren't the selfish one, that was all me. I chickened out on you and I am so sorry I did that to you." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You just don't know how sorry I am."

"Shhhhhh, if you heard me, then you already know, it doesn't matter, I just want to be with you working it out. Trying. God Daryl I thought you were going to die."

She moved her arms to hold him closer without touching his ribs but he pulled her closer anyway. He wanted her close after this ordeal they had been through.

"What if I changed my mind?" He said. "What if I wanted to, would you still want to?"

"Did you see a white light or something?" She joked but she quickly saw that he wasn't joking.

She put her forehead to his and smiled. They let the water cascade over their bodies and just took each other in, breathed each other in

"So what if I wanted to now? What would you say?"

"I'd say we can talk about it, is that good?"

He nodded. "More than good."

She nodded her head and continued washing him.

"I want to get married again Carol." He said and his voice wasn't cracking this time, she looked up at him through the water that was running over both of them. Her eyes and voice clear.

"Me too."

THE END

 ** _A/N: Thank you everyone who hung in with this story. I know it got bumpy and I appreciate people not giving up. Now, I might write a sequel, because don't we all want to know what happens to Carol and Daryl. I want to know about Teagan and Merle that's for sure. So let me know if you want more and I'll do it._**


End file.
